It’s finally time to step up your underwater media game; you’re just not getting the results you want. You’re constantly checking out other divers’ images and videos on the dive boat, but you don’t really know where to start when it comes to changing your camera rig. Do you go for an SLR? Or maybe a mirrorless set-up? All you know is that you want to start shooting quality pictures and videos, but you’ve got a modest budget. Look no further, divers: I have the answer for you. In fact, I had the answer years ago, and the solution just keeps getting better and better. Let me introduce you the Sony Sony RX100 IV point-and-shoot camera, along with its amazing companion, the Nauticam NA-RX100IV housing.
I’m not going to ramble on about the camera’s specs — you can simply view those reviews here . I want to talk specifically about how this camera performs underwater.
If you don’t want to spend upwards of $10,000 USD and are aiming rather for the $3,000 range, you can’t beat the Sony Sony RX100 IV.
The camera is in its fourth generation, and its features are glorious. And it’s pretty great when it comes to shooting topside as well.
First, let me draw you in with some juicy media:
(above) Taken with the Sony Sony RX100 IV and one Sea & Sea YS-D1 strobe
(above) Taken with the Sony RX100 IV in a Nauticam housing with two Fix Neo 3000 DX video lights
These two pictures were taken on the camera’s auto setting. Simple. Point and shoot.
Of course you can go into manual mode, aperture priority or shutter priority. But as you can see, the camera does great in the point-and-shoot mode as well. This is the perfect set up for someone who doesn’t want to dabble too much in the cameras settings, but still get some decent photos. It’s also a great camera for someone just starting out who wants to improve their underwater photography skills. Since it’s a point and shoot, the camera doesn’t have interchangeable lenses. So think long and hard about where you want to invest your money. How often are you diving? Do you just want to get good photos and don’t care about expanding your skill set? Are you looking for something small that travels well?
The main thing you need to worry about when shooting underwater is lighting, which will make or break your media. If you don’t have proper lighting underwater, you won’t capture images like the ones shown above. Color disappears the deeper you go, so you must bring it back with artificial light. As you can see, this camera when properly paired with the right lighting tools, this camera does the trick perfectly.
The Sony RX100 IV is not only great at photography, but also a master for video, especially macro. I carry this set up everywhere I go, as I find it much easier to shoot small subjects with this camera than with my big DSL camera.
The video below was shot with the camera with the Nauticam housing .
You can learn more about the Nauticam Housing here.
More about the camera specs and all the geeky stuff here.
Find out more about the strobe I used — which is great for travel — here.
Questions? Let me know!
